The Emperor Doesn't Despise Me? Why Is He Still Using Force! - Chapter 8

Pei Yan turned pale, his eyes widening instantly.

He was frightened out of his wits.

He also realized that this group of assassins was the very same one that had crippled Xiao Jing’an’s left hand.

He had found it strange earlier how Xiao Jing’an could have emerged completely unscathed, but now the assassins had actually attacked.

Over there, Xiao Jing’an shifted his figure, drawing a sharp soft sword in a split second, and then engaged in a fierce, entangled battle with the crowd of assassins.

Sheng Dong led a group of hidden guards, also clashing with the assassins in a fierce battle.

However, the number of assassins was clearly greater than that of the hidden guards.

Therefore, the hidden guards did not have the upper hand for the moment.

Pei Yan guarded against the fire at the city gates spreading to afflict him, an innocent bystander.

He hid far away.

Sheng Dong was fighting with a masked assassin whose martial arts skill was on par with his own.

Sheng Dong held a long sword, thrusting it toward the other’s vital points with every strike.

Yet, while dodging, the other party did not make any fatal moves to end his life.

This made Sheng Dong very suspicious.

Just at this moment, an assassin was kicked flying by Xiao Jing’an and landed right beside his feet.

Seeing this, Sheng Dong brandished his sword to stab him.

That assassin hurriedly said, “We’re on the same side, Sheng Dong, don’t kill me.”

What the hell, he knew him!

Sheng Dong was stunned.

At the same time, the assassin who was fighting with him also spoke.

“We are just acting right now, don’t take it seriously.”

As soon as Sheng Dong heard the other’s voice, he immediately knew who it was.

“Lang Zhen!”

“Don’t get excited, keep your voice down.”

Lang Zhen glanced at Pei Yan standing in the distance.

“Watch out for that guy named Yan Qing hearing it and discovering the clues, this person is quite shrewd.”

“His name is Pei Yan,” Sheng Dong corrected, then added, “Did the master tell you guys to disguise as assassins and put on this act for Pei Yan to see?”

Lang Zhen nodded, “Don’t just talk, keep fighting.”

After he finished speaking, he raised his long sword, making a gesture to stab Sheng Dong.

In order to make his acting more exquisite, while dodging the sword thrust by Lang Zhen, Sheng Dong swept his long sword in a faint, superficial slash across the neck of the “assassin” at his feet.

From Pei Yan’s perspective, it looked as though he had slit that assassin’s throat.

“Did the master say why he has to stage this act in front of Pei Yan?”

After asking, Sheng Dong looked at Xiao Jing’an and sighed, “The master’s mind is as deep as the ocean, I understand it less and less!”

Lang Zhen’s probing gaze swept across Xiao Jing’an and Pei Yan.

“In my opinion, it is because of the previous batch of real assassins that the master slaughtered; the master wants Pei Yan to know that he was not prepared in advance, but rather that the assassination was sudden, unexpected, and completely unprevented.”

Sheng Dong looked completely baffled, “If that’s the case, why did the master go to such great lengths to do this?”

Lang Zhen narrowed his eyes in thought and analyzed, “I guess the news that there would be assassins coming to assassinate him tonight is something he heard from Pei Yan.”

Hearing him say this, Sheng Dong reacted as well.

“The master eavesdropped on it, and not wanting to raise Pei Yan’s suspicions, he staged this whole act.”

Lang Zhen continued, “The master wants to deliberately get in touch with Pei Yan, and also that orphan of the chariot and cavalry general.”

Several imperial guards disguised as masked assassins received Xiao Jing’an’s order and “forced” him away from Pei Yan’s field of vision.

Seeing Xiao Jing’an being forced to a distant place by several assassins to fight, Pei Yan furrowed his brows.

He muttered softly, “I’m afraid his left hand is going to be crippled.”

Pei Yan’s brows furrowed even tighter.

“Won’t there be any other accidents?”

After rebirth, some events were completely beyond his expectations, just like how he and his dear stepfather accidentally broke into the Beishan hunting ground tonight.

“Will Xiao Jing’an be killed just like that?”

In his past life, although he was a foolish ruler who let him die a wrongful death on the guillotine, in this lifetime, just a short while ago, he and his dear stepfather were surrounded by a pack of wolves and fell into a desperate situation; if not for his timely rescue, he and his dear stepfather probably would have already been ruthlessly chewed into a pile of white bones by that pack of fierce wolves.

That miserable appearance and unwillingness were truly hard to imagine.

Admittedly, he had already taken matters of life and death lightly in his previous life, but he could not bear the sight of his dear stepfather vanishing right before his eyes.

Up to this very moment, he still had lingering fear; if his dear stepfather had really been eaten by the wolves.

Pei Yan tightly closed his phoenix eyes, feeling his eye sockets grow hot, not daring to continue thinking about it.

No matter what, this was a debt of saving a life.

Especially since he was going to use him again next.

Therefore, this person could not afford to have any accidents.

“Go quickly and save your master!”

Pei Yan shouted at Sheng Dong and the group of hidden guards, “He is in danger right now.”

Sheng Dong used his eyes to ask Lang Zhen, “What should we do?”

Lang Zhen communicated with him through his eyes, “The master avoiding Pei Yan must have his own purpose, we cannot go.”

The two of them immediately started fiercely hacking at each other again.

Presenting an illusion to Pei Yan that they could not break away.

Those who could become members of the imperial guards and hidden guards were all very clever; seeing the two of them acting like this, everyone else followed suit by putting on a show of fighting with all their might.

Seeing that he could not count on them, Pei Yan could only go and take a look himself.

At the same time, Xiao Jing’an stood amidst a cluster of jagged rocks.

The boulders of varying heights completely blocked people’s line of sight.

Several imperial guards disguised as assassins stood respectfully by his side.

One of them asked, “Master, how should your subordinates proceed?”

Xiao Jing’an slightly raised his eyelids, his tone indifferent, “Lie on the ground and feign death.”

Several imperial guards immediately obeyed the order, lying on the ground and pretending to be dead.

With a gloomy expression, Xiao Jing’an held the soft sword in his hand and slashed across his own left arm without a moment’s hesitation.

Immediately after, crimson blood soaked through the fabric, flowing down along his wrist.

Soon it gathered into a dazzling pool of red on the ground.

Clearly, his action was done for Pei Yan to see.

It was not only as Sheng Dong and Lang Zhen analyzed, to prevent Pei Yan from growing suspicious, but also to extract the necessary information from Pei Yan’s inner thoughts starting from this injury.

One crucial point among them was to determine once and for all whether Pei Yan was connected to the Third Prince.

Of course, starting from the injury on his left arm, there would also be gains in his conversation with Pei Yan.

Dawn was just breaking, and a trace of chill permeated the air.

“You are injured!”

Pei Yan lifted his robe and ran over.

The blood stains on the ground were mottled, and he did not know whether they belonged to Xiao Jing’an or the assassins.

At this moment, Pei Yan had no heart to care about these things either.

In any case, the assassins were dead, and he was safe.

Pei Yan stopped in front of Xiao Jing’an.

With a “rip,” he tore a strip from his sleeve and tied it around Xiao Jing’an’s wound to stop the bleeding.

“I will briefly bandage it for you first, you must seek medical attention as soon as possible.”

[This left hand is definitely crippled.]

Thinking this way, Pei Yan’s mind conjured up the person before him from his past life.

At that time, he had brandished his sword before his eyes as if trying to act tough, yet because his left hand was crippled, it trembled slightly out of control.

His eyes filled with a smile as he said to him, “I am not a useless person, there is nothing useless about me anywhere.”

At that time, Xiao Jing’an was only just over thirty years old, right in the prime and robust years of his life.

However, because his inner palace was completely empty and he never showed any interest in carnal desires, rumors ran wild all over the streets.

One of the rumors was that he was impotent and unable to perform manly duties.

At first, he had also firmly believed in this.

Until that time when he.

Thinking of this, Pei Yan quickly swept his gaze down toward Xiao Jing’an’s lower body.

He was not impotent, and moreover.

A thin layer of reddish blush bloomed across Pei Yan’s cheeks.

Fearing that Xiao Jing’an might perceive any clues, he buried his head very low.

Yet his neck betrayed him.

Xiao Jing’an’s gaze was fixed on that section of exquisite, beautiful neck exposed when he lowered his head.

That neck was as white as porcelain, yet a small, faint patch of pink blush bloomed over it, just like a newly blooming peach blossom, revealing a hint of reserved shyness.

Xiao Jing’an’s Adam’s apple slightly bobbed, and he averted his eyes.

The bleeding had mostly stopped.

His emotions also returned to calm.

Pei Yan lifted his eyes and looked toward Xiao Jing’an.

“You must seek medical treatment quickly.”

Hearing this, Xiao Jing’an’s gaze fell upon his injured left arm, but his expression remained indifferent. Clearly, despite the blood dripping from his wound, the aura of a supreme ruler belonging to him did not wane in the slightest.

It was as if he was already long accustomed to such injuries and pain and did not take them to heart.

Of course, since he inflicted the injury on himself, he could control the force so that his left hand would not truly be crippled.

“This group of assassins consists of loyal suicide squads; it is impossible to probe the mastermind behind them from their mouths.”

“Who on earth instructed them?”

While speaking, Xiao Jing’an stepped forward and left this cluster of jagged rocks.

After all, the imperial guards on the ground were pretending to be dead.

To prevent being discovered by Pei Yan.

Pei Yan followed closely behind, “I suppose we should screen among your political rivals.”

Xiao Jing’an was guiding Pei Yan’s words, and Pei Yan was also inducing Xiao Jing’an’s speech.

To achieve their respective goals.

Hearing Pei Yan’s words, Xiao Jing’an lowered his eyes to look at him, deliberately lowering his brows with an expression of deep contemplation.

The two of them walked one after the other.

Xiao Jing’an and Pei Yan belonged to the same age group in this lifetime, but he was much taller than Pei Yan. Of course, this did not mean Pei Yan was short; when he used to stand in the imperial court, his height was quite a prominent one.

Looking at them like this, the two had an inexplicable sense of harmony.

After walking for a distance, they saw Sheng Dong and Chu Liancheng.

The “assassins” had all fallen to the ground and were “put to death.”

Seeing Xiao Jing’an, Sheng Dong and Chu Liancheng came over to report on their mission.

Sheng Dong reported, “Master, after the subordinates controlled the assassins, they bit into the poison sacs in their mouths and committed suicide. They are a group of loyal suicide squads.”

Chu Liancheng reported next, “Master, the subordinates have thoroughly combed through the East Mountain and found no traces of wolves.”

Xiao Jing’an instructed Chu Liancheng, “Go to Shunhua Field and release twenty wolves into the hunting ground.”

Most of the wolves in the hunting ground had already been killed. If the old emperor did not see any wolf packs during the autumn hunt, it would be considered a failure on Xiao Jing’an’s part.

Aside, seeing that Xiao Jing’an had almost finished giving his instructions, Pei Yan cared and reminded him, “Your arm wound is not shallow, you should go to a medical clinic for treatment as soon as possible.”

[I hope it’s not serious, becoming a one-armed foolish ruler.]

Admittedly, Pei Yan acting this way was not out of concern for him, but rather because he wanted to use this as an excuse to go see his stepfather.

How could Xiao Jing’an not know what was on his mind?

He stepped forward, walking in the direction of the hunting ground’s main gate.

At the same time, continuing from the previous topic.

“Living in the imperial family, no one has any absolute enemies, or rather, anyone involved in interests can become an enemy, and everyone wants to put the other to death.”

Xiao Jing’an paused slightly, turning his gaze toward Pei Yan, “Yan Qing, who do you think is the real mastermind behind tonight’s assassination?”

Pei Yan waved his hands in flustered modesty.

“You overestimate me too much. I am just a commoner, completely clueless about official matters, and even less capable of understanding those who make an enemy of you.”

Xiao Jing’an raised his eyebrow, as if speaking jokingly, “You actually carry the air of an official family on you.”

[I was an official who served for nine years, after all.]

Pei Yan felt a bit sour in his heart, but on the surface, he remained nonchalant.

At this moment, he said with a hint of restraint, “I never thought about becoming an official, I just want to live out the rest of my life peacefully and contentedly.”

Having said that, under Xiao Jing’an’s watchful eye, he deliberately bit his lips nervously, as if a fierce struggle was taking place in his heart.

After hesitating for a moment, he opened his mouth with a solemn expression.

“I do know a secret, though it may not necessarily be conclusive. It was something I accidentally overheard once while taking shelter from the rain in a dilapidated house, when no one else was aware of my presence.”